New rumors about the gaming initiatives, Google

Over the past few months in the gaming industry sounded the most different hearings, affecting not only the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Next. The most interesting communications related, perhaps Google plans: in February, first heard reports that the tech giant is working on a streaming gaming service Yeti and game console.

Over the past months gaming resource Kotaku spoke with five of his informants and sources knowledgeable about the plans of Google, and found out some details. First of all, they confirmed the work of Google on some streaming platform and the development of a hardware gaming console. But the sources also added that the search giant is moving in the third direction, Google aims to enlist the support of game developers, both through aggressive recruitment and by acquisitions of entire studios.

In the last decade, Google is considering gaming initiatives. For example, in 2014, the company reported actively fought for the absorption of Twitch, though in the end lost Amazon. Years there are rumors that Google wants to create a console based on Android, similar to the Fire TV from Amazon, but it never happened. In 2016 Niantic Labs, founded as an internal startup of Google, has achieved tremendous success with the Pokémon Go, but the previous year it was allocated in the independent company. Finally, Google has a long history of hiring game developers for projects that never materialized.

In recent months, however, rumors are getting louder. At the game developers conference GDC 2018 in March this year, Google representatives met with several major game companies to evaluate the interest in their streaming platform, code-named Yeti. Google also had meetings during E3 in June 2018 in Los Angeles, and, according to sources, the company wants not just to attract game developers to work with the Yeti, but sometimes expresses a willingness to buy the Studio as a whole.

What streaming platform is going to create Google? As in the case with the GeForce Now NVIDIA’s platform Yeti provides all the games on powerful servers, and transmitting to the client system, real-time video. With a quality Internet connection, even on the cheapest PC you can play games of high class. This releases the hardware barriers and big-budget games can reach a wider audience, because the players do not require expensive graphics card or a powerful console to run them. One of the informants described the Yeti: “Imagine that you play The Witcher 3 on the tab of Google Chrome”.

Of course, it is necessary to solve problems of input lag and quality loss through compression — that’s what ruined such ambitious services like OnLive. One of the informants spoke about the idea of closer integration of the Yeti is owned by Google, YouTube. For example, when faced with a difficult boss or puzzle in the game, it will be possible at the touch of a button, view the hint in the record of the passage of this moment on YouTube.

Far fewer rumors sources Kotaku heard in respect of the hardware gaming platform Google. We know one thing: the console is being developed with an eye on a close relationship with the streaming service. It is unknown if Google wants to compete, in terms of technical characteristics with the following versions of PlayStation and Xbox, or it was just the terminal that you created with a view to work with the streaming service.

It is worth noting that the “flow noise” in the gaming industry lately has increased. The head of Ubisoft in June said that the PS5 and Xbox Next may be the last such consoles, after which the industry will move to streaming games. And the other day he told that the publisher wants to switch to a streaming model of games, although not yet figured out how to earn it.

During the press conference of Microsoft at E3 2018, the Executive President of the gaming Corporation Phil Spencer (Phil Spencer) not only confirmed the start of work on the next generation Xbox, but also spoke about creating a streaming game service that will allow you to run any game on any device. Finally, Electronic Arts in may of this year the company was bought GameFly and is now actively preparing to launch its own cloud service for streaming games. She even showed her work to reporters.

Sony continues without much noise and applications to develop to their paid streaming service PlayStation Now, the main purpose of which is to ensure compatibility with PS4 games generation PS3 and PS2 (as well as access them on a PC) via cloud streaming. Currently, the library of PS Now includes more than 650 games.

But the main problem with these services is maintained — speed Network access to users. The transfer quality of the video stream means downloading large amounts of data, it is difficult to count in many cities of the planet. Google Fiber is an initiative to deploy superior broadband connection that allows you to reach speeds of 100 times more than most U.S. households. Although Fiber is being implemented with difficulty even in the US and is still working only in a few cities, the service shows what Google could in theory solve the problems with bandwidth, as no other gaming company can not. Google also has servers around the world, giving the company a big head start. Oh and don’t forget about the monstrous amounts of money at the disposal of the search giant.

However, some had heard of the Yeti, the developers who spoke with journalists, skeptical. Google is too well known a lot of abandoned projects. In addition, even in more rural parts of America the Corporation is unlikely to come to deploy adequate infrastructure — to say nothing of the rest of the world? If Google will release its own console, and what games will be supported start? That will force developers to port their projects to the new platform? The history of the gaming industry is littered with consoles that tried to challenge Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft — and many of them failed due to the lack of appealing exclusives.

Other tech companies yet not too well. Amazon, for example, in the last four years has spent many millions of dollars to attract the best developers to create their own game engine and by companies such as Twitch and Double Helix. Even with three full studios of Amazon have not yet been able to offer a really big game and canceled multiplayer sports project Breakaway last year.

One thing is for sure: Google wants to try. In January 2018, the company hired Phil Harrison (Phil Harrison), a veteran of the gaming industry, who has long held senior positions in the PlayStation and Xbox. Google is also seen in the mass involvement of experienced developers and marketers of EA, Sony and many other leading companies. In General, the money to start the company. And only time will tell whether materialized Yeti in one form or another or will go the way of Google Glass.